Young Turk
by GoodbyeMyAlmostLover
Summary: Marie comes from Ireland in search of her brother who was sent to the U.S. army in Normandy, France. She soon finds out that her brother is dead & joins the famous group searching for Private Ryan. Friendships grow as love blooms. But will it last?
1. Sexist Bastard

Young Turk

_...;;-Sexist Bastard-;;..._

* * *

Marie walked through the field that a herd of sheep was grazing and stopped to look at the scenery. These were very dangerous times and Marie being a woman and all didn't really make the situation better. She wasn't afraid of being by herself in the middle of no where because she knew how to fight; very well too. She could also use the sniper-rifle she had strapped to her back. She was in fact a soldier from Ireland that got sent to the USA for military training and some how ended up being dragged into this god forsaken war. It just so happens that so did the only family she's ever had. Her older brother Keith… 

Keith was also an Irish soldier that was sent away to the USA. He was there about 4 months before Marie showed up. They were sent to the same sector to train and never left each other's side. It was more for the fact that they didn't want the other dieing, but they've never really been apart for long. Keith was very skilled with bombs, machine guns, and the common rifle. He was also very good at hand-to-hand combat. Though not as good as Marie, but then again, she's never found a better opponent. Keith was only 28 when he got put into this foolishness called war and Marie was 22. She still is.

Marie and Keith had been split up for obvious reasons. Marie was a sniper and Keith was a rifle-man. He took the beach while she took to the sky and parachuted down. Only problem is that Marie and the rest of the parachutiers had landed almost 20 miles from their destined drop. She decided to walk and try to find her brother somewhere out here. She had thrown away the map that she was given on account that even if she had looked at it she wouldn't have known where the hell she was or where she was going.

Marie turned her head to the right hearing noises that sounded far away. Maybe a mile or so, she calculated. Maybe there was a camp set up nearby? Hopefully American...So she headed off in that general direction. As she got closer she started to see exactly what it was. She had been right it was a camp and the soldiers were American. She walked down into the camp and got looks as she passed the soldiers. She was use to this so she didn't really acknowledge their questioning stares and their ill talk. Well, until someone called her by name that is.

"Cathmor! What a surprise to see you, a _woman_, here!" Marie stopped walking and looked to the man who was sitting on the dirt with some fellow soldiers.

"Broderick...You _**sexist bastard**_." Marie stared at him with a cold glance before starting to walk off again. Broderick wasn't one of those people that you'd want to really be around; especially if you were female... He was one of the most sexist and perverted men you could ever come across and Marie detested him.

"Hey, wait! Cathmor!" Broderick ran after Marie and struggled to keep up with her fast paced walked.

"Please go away."

"Why? I haven't done anything to you...yet."

Marie stopped and turned around to look at him. There was a group of 4 or 5 men sitting in a semi circle watching in amazement to see a female soldier.

"What do you want?"

"Are you by yourself?"

"Yes, now please answer my question."

"Wow! You and your brother aren't attached at the hip? Maybe now you'd like to head over to one of the sle-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Marie grits her jaw and glared at him.

"Aw. Come one Cathmor! You know you want to." Broderick didn't say anymore. He just looked at her and she looked back. Her stare did not waver in the least. Sometime during this Marie's name was called out again by a different voice. One of the captains from the academy showed up at her side.

"It's good to see you alive and obviously well, M.C."

"Thanks...Have you seen or heard anything of my brother sir?"

Broderick's eyebrows rose at the worry in Marie's voice.

"You honestly have no idea where he is?"

Marie turned and looked at Broderick. Her gaze softened as the worry grew in her heart of losing the only family she's ever had.

"I honestly have no idea..."

It became silent between the three soldiers as the circle of soldiers sat listening behind them.

"What's his name?"

Marie turned to look behind her at a man who looked caring yet tough. He had a chiseled face and a deep voice. Marie walked up to the circle and looked him in the eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Adrian Caparzo."

"Adrian...I like that name. Is it Italian?"

"Yeah. It is. Now what's your brother's name, sweetheart?"

"My name is **Marie**...and my brother's is Keith." Marie smiled softly at this Adrian and looked around at the rest of the soldiers around him.

"Keith..._Keith_...What does he look like?" Adrian racked his brain, searching for anything about a Keith.

"He's got blonde hair like mine, well, except a little redder and curlier. He's about 6'3, real well built. He wears a necklace; sort of like this one, except the stones are white and green." Marie took out her necklace that she had around her neck and handed it to Adrian. He studied it carefully. The soldier to his right took the necklace from his hand and looked at it oddly.

"I remember a guy at the beach with us havin' a necklace like this." This blonde haired fellow looked over the necklace again before handing it back to Marie. He looked to a guy on the left of Adrian.

"Reiben, remember that guy who ran with you and Caparzo here?" The guy nodded and looked as though he remembered something.

"Yeah...Yeah, I remember him. So what Jackson? What's that got to do with anything?"

Jackson looked back at Marie. "Your last name wouldn't happen to be, _Cathmor,_ by chance, would it?" Marie looked at him wide eyed and nodded slowly.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, I kinda do..." Jackson nodded, but didn't say any more.

"Is...is he...alright?" Marie stumbled with her words for a second.

"He...got shot by a...30m."

Marie's world fell around her in little pieces. Her older brother was killed. Her only family gone and left her alone. She looked to the ground and covered her mouth with her right hand as the sniper rifle fell off her shoulder. She nodded her head slowly as the information she was just given started to sink in. She felt a hand placed on her shoulder and looked to her left to see Broderick. Her eyes started to water and she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, softly crying into his chest. Broderick didn't turn her away. He knew how much Keith meant to her. Keith, he practically raised her. Broderick laid his chin on the top of Marie's head and rubbed her back soothingly. The men in the circle stayed silent listening to the soft sobs of Marie. Jackson stared at Marie, wishing he hadn't told her about her brother.

"I'm sorry...I got your shirt all soaked." Marie said laughing sadly and wiping the remainder of her tears away from Broderick's coat. Broderick wiped Marie's tears off her face and smiled softly at her.

"Don't worry about it M." Marie smiled back at him and then looked to Jackson with red eyes.

"Thank you..." Jackson nodded his head grimly and looked at his hands. He then started to pat the pockets on his clothes. He stopped and reached into one pocket in his pants and pulled out Keith's necklace. It had little white and emerald stones alternating through it.

"Here..." He handed it to the shocked Marie as she shakily took the necklace tightly in her right hand. She looked down at the little piece of her brother that was given back to her and smiled. She looked back up at Jackson and smiled greatly. She walked to him and quickly gave him a small hug.

"Thank you so much." She pulled away and walked back next to Broderick and the sergeant that was still there. He nodded his head and walked away leaving Marie alone with the group of men. As Marie stood there talking quietly to Broderick, who was the only person she had left, a captain and another sergeant walked over to the circle of men.

"Alright. I got to try and go dig up another interpreter along with an infantry and artillery specialist." Marie's ears perked up at this and she turned to face the captain who was picking up his pack.

"I'm an infantry and artillery specialist." Marie spoke in a quiet voice. The circle of men turned their heads towards her.

"You? An infantry **and** artillery specialist? Yeah right, and I'm the King of Spain!" The man that was lounging on the ground in front of Jackson looked at Marie, laughing at his little comment. Marie looked at him with no expression.

"Yeah she **is**. You have a problem with that, smartass?" Broderick moved next to Marie and grit his teeth at the man on the ground.

"I'm the smartass huh? Come on let's go! Right now!" The man got up from the ground and took a fighting stance.

"Enough Mellish." The captain turned and looked at Marie. "What's your name?"

"M.C., sir.Current Lieutenant Colonel of the IRA." Marie saluted him and then stood waiting as he looked her over.

"M.C..._Marie Cathmor_, am I right? No, doubt the sameinitials of your father, Murphy Cathmor." Marie looked at him surprised and then happy.

"Yes, sir. He was my father." He nodded at her and put his pack on his back.

"And I suppose that you have training under your belt from him?" Marie nodded.

"Captain Miller you're not thinking of actually letting her come with us, are you!?" Reiben asked astounded at the captain's questioning of this woman. Broderick sent a glare Reiben's way and turned to the captain.

"Sir, she's the best out there. She's far advanced in hand-to-hand combat. She's great at using a rifle and handgun. She was also trained as a counter sniper. If you don't take her with you, you'll be making a mistake." Marie smiled at Broderick, who didn't seem too sexist at the moment in her eyes, and looked to the captain. The captain looked between the two and then looked to the sergeant who had walked up with him.

"Your father was a good man. Good soldier too." He spoke to Marie before turning to the man next to him. "Make sure she knows what the mission is as well as the other's do." The captain walked away and the sergeant took a knee in front of the group of men and began to speak.

"Okay. Listen up!"

"What? What are we gonna do?" Caparzo asked pulling the cigarette out of his mouth.

"You're gonna go home wrapped in an American flag with a hunk of cheese up your ass, Caparzo you smartass."

"I thought you liked it in the ass." Reiben said smugly to the sergeant, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"What?"

"I thought you liked it in the ass!" Reiben said again just as smug. Marie rolled her eyes at the typical male's way of teasing and stood behind the sergeant listening to him speak. Apparently, there were four Ryan's that were sent into this war. All brother's and three of them died.

**Our mission- **_**Save Private Ryan**_


	2. Life Ain’t That Bad

_Young Turk_

_...;;-Losing My Brother & Gaining Seven Friends?-;;.._

_..;;- Life Ain't That Bad-;;.. _

* * *

The group of soldiers walked through the same field Marie had been standing in earlier that day. The sheep were still there grazing happily and this made Marie smile slightly. She looked down at her feet as she walked and readjusted her sniper-rifle on her shoulder. 

"What is it?" Marie looked up and saw Jackson looking at her intently.

"It reminds me of home." She looked back at the sheep and laughed. Jackson smiled slightly and faced forward, knowing what she meant. He too had grown up on a farm in the south and the sheep had reminded him of it too. Marie closed her eyes and tried to stop the laughter that was building up inside.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Marie looked behind her at Caparzo and nodded. She stopped walking and began again when she was next to him on his right side.

"Yeah, I'm fine Caparzo." Marie said through small giggles that fought their way through. Caparzo smiled and shook his head, turning to look back in front of him.

"Where're ya from? You've got an accent." Caparzo didn't look over at her and instead looked off to the left, spotting for Germans.

"Ireland originally and then I got transferred to the U.S. for the military." Marie looked up at Caparzo who smirked as he turned to look at her.

"So, you're a farm girl." Marie arched an eyebrow as she nodded her head slowly.

"Yes, why?" Caparzo shook his head and laughed lightly.

"Means you're all innocent and that crap. How could you be a soldier?" He looked back in front of himself. Marie shrugged, thinking about what to say.

"Well, my father was a general and my mother was a nurse for the army...So I guess, I just kind of fell in line with it like my brother." Marie looked back in front of herself and narrowed her eyes at the sun that hit them. "What about you? How did you get involved with the military?"

"I didn't really have a choice." He looked down at her, sadly. "I got drafted."

"Oh...I'm sorry...I think? What is 'drafting'?" Marie asked shyly as the rest of the men in the group, besides Upham and Captain Miller, looked back at Marie oddly.

"It's when your government calls every able man over 17 to join the army...the Irish army doesn't do that at times?" Caparzo asked curiously as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Marie shrugged and licked her lips.

"No, they really have no need for a 'draft' since they don't go to war with anyone outside of Ireland." It became quiet as the rest of the soldiers returned to spotting.

"Did you have a wife or fiancé that you had to leave?" Marie looked back up at Caparzo, who kept his view forward. Caparzo took in a deep breath and sighed.

"Na, nothing like that...I'm not a one woman man...I like selection, but hopefully one day, I'll find a gal, settle down, and raise mini Caparzos'." Marie laughed and shook her head thinking about her brother at Caparzo's statement.

* * *

_Flash Back_

_"Keith, why won't you just find some nice girl to marry, instead of living here, bothering me everyday?" Marie asked her older brother who sat down next to her on the porch of their farm. Keith shrugged and then smirked as he turned to look at his sister._

_"No way! I'm not a one woman man! I like to have a selection of all sorts of women, dear sister!" He placed his arm around Marie's shoulders. "Anyway...I have you to take care of me, along with the tiny fact that I love to annoy you!"_

_"Why do I put up with you...?" Marie asked herself as Keith grinned and side hugged his little sister._

_"Because you love me so much!" It became quiet between the two as they watched the sheep slowly moving through the fields, grazing._

_"Someday, though..." Marie looked over at her brother, who had begun to speak again. Keith looked off into the field in a daze and smiled softly, "Someday, though I hope to get married and...have lots of children." Keith looked over at Marie and smiled larger as he nudged her with his shoulder._

_"You will be a great father, Keith...Someday..."_

_End Flash Back _

* * *

"Hey! Come back from wonderland, sweetheart." Marie looked up at Caparzo and smiled. 

"Sorry. You just reminded me of my brother for a second there." Caparzo smirked as he shook his head.

"Really and how is that?"

"The whole, _'I'm never getting married because I like my selection of woman, but **someday**, I'll get married and have children',_ thing." Marie smirked back at him and then laughed lightly. Marie felt a slightly pull at her heart as she began to think about Keith again.

"Hey! Do you want your head blown off you fancy little fuck? Don't touch me with those little rat claws again. Get the fuck back in formation." Marie and Caparzo turned their heads to look at Mellish, who had snapped at Upham, who was now walking on the left side of Caparzo.

"Just wondering where you're from, that's all..." Upham turned to Caparzo, who didn't glance in his direction.

"Caparzo is it?" Upham asked sheepishly to Caparzo. Marie looked back ahead of her and to the back of Jackson. She smiled knowing that she had someone else who had grown up on a farm and ignored the conversation Upham was having with the rest of the group.

"Drop **dead** corporal." Caparzo snapped at Upham and kept walking.

"Got you... Upham said reject-fully, turning to look at the ground under his booted feet.

"Hey and every time you go saluting the Captain you make him a target for the Germans. So do us a favor; don't do it. Especially when I'm standing next to him. Don't come near me again, kapish?" Caparzo said turning and winking at Marie. She rolled her eyes and laughed out loud, earning the attention of the group of soldiers. She apologized, still laughing and everyone went back to what they were doing.

"Ignore Adrian here, Upham. If he is anything like my brother, then he is just putting up a face." Marie smiled at Upham, who whispered a sarcastic, 'sure' and walked on to talk to Wade. Marie looked up to Jackson again. He was looking left and right spotting for Germans. She stared at him intently before her ears picked up on Wade speaking. Apparently, Upham was writing a book on the bonds of brotherhood which soldiers develop during war.

"Hey Upham!" Marie called to him and his head turned so fast Marie thought it would snap.

"How are you going to write this book on brotherhood, if there is a _woman_ fighting in the war too?" Marie smiled at him and he laughed lightly at her comment.

"I guess I could fit you in...**somewhere**..." Upham joked and Marie looked back in front of her smiling. After this, they moved on to trying to get poor Upham to ask Captain Miller about his life.

"Cathmor, come up next to Jackson, he won't bother you like those vagabonds!" Marie laughed as she looked back at the group she was with and walked up next to Jackson at the request of Captain Miller. She looked up at him and smiled softly. Jackson returned the smile and faced forward.

"You want to explain the math of this to me, Sir?" Reiben asked not looking at the Captain. "Why risk the lives of theseven of us to save **one** guy?"

"Seven, Reiben?" Miller looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. Reiben shrugged and continued.

"Yes sir, seven. No offence an all, but Miss Cathmor there ain't really a soldier, now is she?" Reiben smirked at his comment and Marie drove daggers into his back from where she walked. Jackson looked over at Marie and smirked a little at the face she was wearing.

"How would **you** know? You never shut up long enough for me to talk about myself, so you couldn't possibly know who I am." Marie said calmly, surprising the group as she held her head high. Reiben scoffed and kept walking without looking back at Marie.

"I could probably kick your ass, you jerk!" Marie cursed under her breath as Jackson laughed to himself, hearing every word.

"I like this girl! She knows what she's talking about." Horvath smiled as he kept walking. This little comment, you could clearly tell, pissed Reiben off. Marie smiled at Horvath's comment and then grinned as they all walked on.

"So, would anyone like to answer Reiben's previous question, the one concerning why we're risking our lives?" Everyone walked in silence, not wanting to answer the question.

"Think of the poor bastard's mother!" Wade yelled up as he clung to his pack, easing the weight off his shoulders and laughing.

"Hey Doc, I got a mother, all righ'? I mean you got a mother. Sarge has got a mother. Shit, I bet even the Captain's got a mother." Reiben turned round to look at the Captain, who stared back with a look of 'Um, No, I Don't' on his face. "Well, maybe not the Captain...but the rest of us got mothers."

"There's not to reason why, there is but to do and die.'" Upham chanted quite happily.

"La-la la-la la-la la-la la-la la-la la...What the fuck is that supposed to mean Corporal, huh? Is it that we're all supposed to die, that it?" Mellish glared at Upham. Marie shook her head and sighed. Jackson looked down at her and gripped his rifle tighter.

"You alrigh' there?" Marie looked up at Jackson, who looked intently at her, and smiled softly while nodding her head.

"Upham's talking about our duty as soldiers. We all have orders to follow that surpasses everything...including your mothers." Captain Miller stated as he looked behind him at the soldiers and then back in front of him.

"Yes, sir. Thank you sir." Upham thanked for the support.

"Even if you think the mission is fubar, sir?" Reiben asked looking left and right for Germans.

"**Especially,** if you think the mission is fubar." Miller replied.

"Uh, what's fubar?" Upham asked in confusion.

"It's German...yeah." Mellish answered not even looking at him.

Marie was thankful that Upham had asked that question, because quite frankly she didn't know what fubar was either. They all walked a few minutes in silence again, before Jackson spoke up.

"Sir, I have an opinion on this matter."

"Well, by all means, share it with the squad." Miller said a smile coming through on his face.

"Well, from my way of thinking, sir, this mission is a serious misallocation of valuable military resources." Jackson said turning his glance from left to right, swinging his sniper in the process.

"Go on."

"Well, it seems to me, sir, that God made me a fine instrument of warfare." Jackson raised one of his arms to the sky. Marie smiled and looked up at him laughing to herself quietly.

"Reiben pay attention. This is the way to gripe!" Miller said smiling a bit, indicating back at Jackson. Marie laughed out loud at this and got a slight smirk from Jackson. "Continue Jackson."

"What I mean by that sir, is if you put me and this here sniper-rifle anywhere up to and includin' one mile of Adolph Hitler with a clear line of sight, sir...Pack your bags, fellas. War's over...Amen." Jackson concluded and looked Marie's way again. She smiled at him and nodded her head in agreement to what he had said. Quiet amens' came from the rest of the group.

"Oh, that's brilliant bumpkin. Hey, so, Captain what about you? I mean you don't grip at all?" Reiben asked walking and spotting left and right. Marie ignored whatever the Captain and Reiben were talking about and turned her attention to Jackson.

"I like your accent." Jackson looked at her and smiled slightly. He nodded his head and she looked back in front of her.

"I like yours' too. Where're you from?" Jackson asked Marie, but didn't look her way.

"I'm from Ireland. Southern region, in a little town called Kilkenny. Grew up on a farm there." She smiled as memories filled her head.

"Ireland? So, are you like a drunk or somethin?" Marie laughed and looked back at Mellish smiling.

"No, I'm not a drunk." She stopped for a moment and thought on the topic, "Actually, I can't remember a time when I got drunk." She looked up at the sky to see no clouds, just blue, and looked back in front of her.

"That's a sign that you're a drunk, sweetheart." Caparzo laughed lightly looking in front of him at Marie. She shook her head and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh yeah! Real mature, sweetheart!" Caparzo laughed and shook his head. Marie smiled and laughed sarcastically at his comment.

"Losing my brother and gainingseven friends? Life ain't that bad, I suppose." She said aloud to herself. Jackson along with most of the guys smiled at her comment.

"Seven?" Marie looked at the Captain and nodded.

"Yes sir, seven. No **offense** an all, but Reiben there ain't really friend material, now is he?" Marie indicated to Reiben, who ignored her comment and kept walking. A couple laughs sounded and Marie smirked triumphantly. It became silent through the rest of the walk. As it became dark, it started to rain heavily and they slowly approached a town...


	3. My Last Ditch To Save Keith

_Young Turk_

_..;;-My Last Ditch To Save Him...My Last Ditch To Save Keith...-;;.. _

* * *

The group slowly heard several gunshots echo through the heavy rain that had begun to fall. They squatted low and ran towards the noise. 

"Thunder!" A voice called out to the group from around a tall gate made of stone.

"Captain Miller, part of the U.S. Army!" The captain replied back as they all came out from behind the gate. Sitting on the ground behind some carts were several U.S. soldiers. The group sat behind the carts with them.

"Who're you!?" The leader of the group that had been found asked, not hearing what the captain had said just moments ago.

"Captain Miller." The captain looked around and then back at us. He turned around hearing the leader of the small group ask him another question.

"What're you doing here?" Marie held her sniper-rifle close to her chest and closed her eyes. She listened closely to the rain falling onto the ground and into puddles that had been made from it.

"You alrigh'?" Marie opened her eyes and looked to her left seeing Jackson staring at her. She nodded her head and then closed her eyes again listening to the rain fall. In the midst of all that was happening around her she heard the faint sound of a gun going off. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked over at the captain.

"There is a sniper about two-hundred yards north of here." Marie spoke to Jackson as she was still looking at the Captain talking with the leader of the small group. Jackson looked at her, confused for a moment, as he saw her tighten her grip on the rife she had with her.

"How'd ya know that?" Marie saw the Captain get up and begin to move as she and the rest followed. They ran several feet and then stopped hearing voices yell across the town.

"When rain falls it acts as an enhancer." Marie said indicating to the rain that was dripping into a puddle from a drain. "When I had my eyes closed I was listening for anything that wasn't rain falling...That's how I heard the sniper's fire. It was part of my training from my father..."

Marie followed close behind Upham as they all follow the Captain through the small town. Jackson stared at Marie as she stopped against a wall of another gate. Her light blonde hair was soaked and stuck to her face with drops of rain trickling down her cheeks that had turned red from all the running they were doing. He watched as she took a deep breath trying to steady her heart beat and then close her eyes again. After several seconds she opens them again to reveal the moonlight blue of her eyes.

"He is close by..." Jackson watched the words come from behind her soft pink lips, as he unconsciously moistened his own.

"Jackson..." He closed his eyes at hearing his name pass through those same smooth lips, feeling comfort flow through himself. "Jackson, did you hear me?"

"Y-yeah, I heard." Jackson replied quickly as he opened his eyes to look at Marie. She smiled softly as another wave of comfort flowed through him again. He smiled back at her somewhat and followed as the group went through a whole in the gate-wall. There up in a house that had a wall blown away was a man and his family. They all had no idea what was being said from the French refugees.

"Upham!" Captain Miller called back as Upham made his way forward. Upham yelled to the people in French and we slowly made our way around the wall. Marie stood back with Jackson and looked as Upham began speaking with the man that stood in front of his family.

"Tell them we can't take the kids." Captain Miller said standing up straight and looking around the abandoned town.

"No, ragué! **No, ragué**!" Upham yelled trying to tell the man that they couldn't take his children with them to the other side of the town. Marie's eyes scanned over the vicinity, searching for the sniper that she had heard earlier. She spotted out of the corner of her eyes that Caparzo took the child from the French man's arms and held her on his hip. He walked down of the pile of ruble as all eyes were on him, except Marie's. The Captain walked over and took the child from Caparzo and scolded him.

"Captain! It's just to the other side of town!" Caparzo argued as the Captain walked away from him holding the child.

"Found you..." Marie whispered as she spotted the sniper up in a tower not more than fifty yards in front of them. Her eyes widened seeing the sniper lining up his shot. She turned her head and looked at Caparzo before her gaze fell back on the sniper once more.

"Adrian-" Everyone looked to Marie as she stared between Caparzo and the sniper. "**Move, Adrian**!" Marie screamed out as she picked up her legs and ran forward to Caparzo, dropping her gun in the process.

"Marie!" Jackson called out to her, seeing her run forward to Caparzo. He watched for a moment before his legs picked up and he began running after her.

* * *

_Everything seemed to slow during the next few moments while she ran at full speed towards Caparzo. She heard the sound of the sniper's rifle being loaded. She heard the sound of the pelting rain hitting the ground and the puddles. She heard the sound of her heart racing in her ears as tears began to fill her eyes._

_Slowly, her eyes closed to blink. As they opened she no longer saw Caparzo, but the image of her brother standing there looking at her with a warm smile._

_Caparzo looked at Marie confused as she ran straight for him with a face of panic and worry._

_"What is it, sweetheart?" Caparzo asked through the rain as he stared at her, intently._

_"Please move..." Her eyes watered more as she heard the quiet whispering of the bullet flying through the air amongst the rain, which was pelting to the ground. _

* * *

Suddenly, the bullet went through Caparzo's chest and into the piano, sounding an alarm in the rest of the soldier's heads. 

**"Marie!"** Jackson called out again as he stopped running and grabbed Upham, pulling him to a car in the road. He crouched low against it and tried to grab Marie as she ran past him.

Marie kept running to Caparzo until she felt someone pull her down next to a car that was left in the rode. She struggled against the person's grasp on her as she cried out to Caparzo, who lay in the street shaking from the impact.

"Captain, I can walk!" Caparzo yelled trying to get himself up.

"Caparzo! Stay down!" Wade screamed to Caparzo who was still trying to get himself up. "Captain, can you see him!?"

"Stay there Wade!" The captain called from behind me.

"Mellish help me up." Caparzo said to Mellish who hid behind some ruble next to him.

"Stay down!" Mellish whispered harshly as he looked slowly over the top of the ruble pile. Marie looked at Mellish and then at Caparzo, who in her mind was still the image of her brother. She looked behind her to Jackson.

"The tower...He's in the tower, Jackson..." She said as tears began to fall from her eyes. Jackson looked up at the tower that was about fifty yards ahead of them. He looked back at Marie and nodded as he slowly crept tot eh other side of the car. He set up his rifle on top of a pile of ruble that was next tot eh car and looked up at the sniper, lining his shot.

"Captain!" Caparzo yelled from the ground again as he reached into his pocket and pulling out piece of paper. "It's a letter to my father. It's got blood on it, but..."

"**No**! Don't talk like that! You are going to be fine!" Marie yelled out to him.

"No, sweetheart. I ain't..._Marie_..." Caparzo smiled back at her. Marie turned her head to look at the Captain and pulled on his arm that was still around my waist.

**"Let me go! I can save him!"** Marie cried out as she watched Keith, Caparzo in reality, cough up some blood and raise the letter in his hands. Tears stung her eyes as she felt her throat become sore. She fought against the Captain's hold on her, which had become tighter.

"No! Stay here or the sniper will get you too." The tears left Marie's eyes after hearing the Captain's voice and knowing that he wouldn't let her go.

"If I were...to ever marry someone...I hope it would've been...someone like you, Marie..." Caparzo's eyes closed as he coughed up more blood. He let his hand sink to his chest and let it rest there. Marie felt her heart sink to the bottom of the ocean at the feeling of losing Caparzo this way; losing her reminder of her brother this way...

She closed her eyes and turned her head away from Caparzo. After a few moments she heard the ringing from Jackson's rifle and opened her eyes, looking back over at Caparzo, who lay completely still.

"Got 'em, Sir!" Jackson called out as Captain Miller let go of Marie. Marie ran over to Caparzo and fell to her knees by his side. She placed her left hand on the side of his face.

* * *

_"Keith?"_ She whispered as her mind showed her, her brother smiling up at her. She felt the presence of a hand against her face and placed her's on top of it. Slowly, Keith's eyes closed and his hand slipped from her face. The image of her brother faded leaving Caparzo lying on the ground. 

**"Wake up! Please!"** She felt more tears come to her eyes as she began begging for Caparzo to open his eyes. _"Please come back..."_

Marie laid her head down on his chest and cried loudly. Her heart had been ripped to shreds from losing her brother to losing Caparzo, who reminded her of her brother in every aspect.

_"Come back..."_ The rest of the group walked over and stood around Caparzo and Marie.

* * *

"**That's** why we don't take children!" Marie heard Captain Miller scold the rest of the soldiers. 

"Someone get Marie!" Horvath yelled to the group as he walked after the Captain. She felt a hand placed underneath her arm and felt herself being lifted off the ground. She clung to Caparzo, not wanting to leave him.

"We have to leave, Marie..." Marie lifted her gaze to Jackson, who looked down at her sadly. She looked back at Caparzo and then slowly stood up. She looked back at Jackson and noticed he was carrying her gun.

"I can carry my rifle..." She whispered looking Jackson in the eyes as she choked on her cries. He shook his head and sighed.

"I'll carry it for now. Come on..." He placed a hand on her back and led her in the direction the others had gone. "It'll be alrigh'..."

Marie nodded her head at Jackson's words, not really believing them inside. "I know...This was just my last ditch to save him..." Jackson looked over at Marie seeing her eyes tear up about her own words. _"My last ditch to save Keith..."_


	4. I Can’t Believe He’s Gone

_Young Turk_

_..;;-I Can't Believe He's Gone...-;;.._

* * *

Soon, they all found themselves in between two buildings, walking to the other side of the town.

"Thunder!" The man from the other party they had found at the front of the small town yelled to the two men in one of the houses. It took several minutes for 'thunder' to register in their heads before they answered back.

"It's alright! It's clear!" One of the men in the house yelled back. A conversation began between the men in the house and the leader of the small party. Marie stood, silent, next to Jackson as the rest were quiet as well. He looked down at her, staring off into the distance, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Not here..." Marie whispered, telling Jackson she didn't want to cry again because of where they were. Jackson nodded and took her gun from his shoulder and looking down at it. He handed it to her and she took it, slinging it on her shoulder.

"Thanks..." She looked up at him and smiled small before they were told to move out.

The group began moving again, further down between the two buildings. The leader of the small group sat down on a pile of ruble to get a stone from his boot and knocked over a pillar of wood, ending by taking out a wall to one of the two buildings.

Suddenly, German yells were heard and gunshots were fired, crazily.

"Drop your guns!" Captain Miller yelled as Upham tried yelling to them in German. Mellish looked around several times before seeing Marie.

"Watch it!" Mellish pushed Marie to the ground, seeing her right next to him, and not wanting her to get hit by gun fire.

**"Down! Put 'em down!"** Marie looked over to Jackson who was yelling out at the German's to put down their guns like the rest of the soldiers in her group. She placed her arms over her head when she heard rapid gunfire come from behind her and the rest of the soldiers. She felt someone land on top of her and removed her arms from protecting her head. Jackson laid over her with his arms over her head to protect her from being shot as his eyes were closed trying not to get dust into them.

"Stay down...!" Jackson whispered to her as she closed her eyes as well, waiting.

Soon, the gunfire was over and all was quiet. Boots were heard running around them and the clinking of guns falling to the ground.

"Split up! Check for any wounded!" A voice rang out from above them. Jackson got off of Marie and helped her to stand.

"You alrigh?" Marie looked up at Jackson and nodded as she dusted off the front of herself. She looked over to the Captain to see him speaking to another captain. Groans were heard from the house behind them and Marie watched as Wade walked over to the dieing Germans. He sat down next to one and looked over his wounds. He then looked up and caught eyes with Marie. He shook his head and Marie knew exactly what he was thinking. She looked to the ground and picked up her gun that had fallen from her shoulder when Mellish had pushed her to the ground.

"Alright! Fall out!" Marie snapped her head back to the captain who had saved them and the group walked behind him and his men. They all walked on as the sun came up at the start of a new day. They passed down a small path that led into another small town. This was supposedly where James Ryan was. This was where the mission was supposed to end...

* * *

Marie followed Jackson as the group she was with lined up on two sides of the small street. Marie took the rifle from her shoulder and leaned on it. Soon, someone called for Ryan and then there he was running past us down to Captain Miller. He stopped and looked between the two captains as they confirmed it was him.

"Mission _complete_..." Marie spoke to herself quietly as she looked sadly at the two captains speaking with Ryan. Jackson nodded his head, acknowledging what Marie had said. Mellish that stood next to Marie on her right light a cigarette and looked over at her. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and held it out to her.

"No, thank you. I am not going to die because of some cancer stick." Marie smiled to him and he smirked back as he took another drag from it. "That is really disgusting, Mellish."

"Why?" He took another drag and looked back at her.

"Your shortening your lifespan by smoking that small thing." She shook her head and turned away from him smoking.

Suddenly, Marie heard sobs come from the soldier that just learned of his brothers' deaths. Marie felt her throat tighten up on her as she thought about her brother and then Caparzo.

Captain Miller got up from the ground and then looked at all of us.

"It isn't him." He spoke as he walked over to us.

* * *

Later, they found themselves getting ready to sleep in a church that the other soldiers had graciously offered them to rest in. Marie set down her blanket on the cold stone floor and watched as Mellish and Reiben set up their blankets across from her where they would sleep for the three hours they all had. Wade sat a little ways back in a pew writing out Caparzo's letter to his father and Upham a little further back then him in another pew.

"Hey...hey, do you remember that kid from the academy...?" Marie turned her head as she was pulling out her ponytail and looked at the Captain and Horvath, who were several feet away from where she was, speaking to one another. She sighed and looked at her pack on her right. She thought for a moment and then leaned over, searching through several pockets before finding what she wanted from it. She unfolded the paper and looked down on the picture of her and her brother.

They were both sitting underneath a pink cherry blossom tree. The sun was shinning on them as Keith had his arm around Marie's shoulders. They were looking at each other, smiling brightly. The picture, itself, was somewhat worn from over the years, but it was the only thing she had to remember what he had looked like.

Jackson slowly walked over with his things and quietly set them down next to Marie. He set up his blanket and then moved his pack, sitting down next to her. Marie was stuck in her own world of memories and didn't take notice to Jackson looking over her shoulder at the picture she held in her hands. He took his hand and pointed to Keith in the picture.

"That your brother?" Marie slowly nodded her head not taking her eyes off the picture.

"Yeah...that's him." Marie answered softly as she looked over at Jackson quickly with tears beginning to show on her eyelids. She looked back down at the picture and laughed lightly. "This was the day after he graduated from college...It was taken at our farm under our family's cherry blossom tree."

"He went to college?" Marie nodded her head and wiped her cheek as she felt a tear roll down.

"Yeah...He was always so much smarter then the rest of us...He wanted to be a teacher...because he loved kids so much." Marie looked over to Jackson and smiled sadly. "He was so good with kids too...He always said that he wanted them when he finally got married."

Marie looked back at the picture and wiped a tear that had fallen on it. She bit her bottom lip and sniffed feeling her nose becoming runny. "He would have been a great father..."

"You two were really close...weren't ya?" Marie nodded her head as more tears fell from her eyes. She slowly placed a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes as she began to cry. Mellish, Reiben, Upham, and Wade looked over to her, sadly and then at the ground thinking of their relatives back home.

"I can't believe he's gone!" Marie began to sob as she finally cracked from all the stress she was undergoing. Jackson pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she cried into his chest.

"Everything will be alrigh'..." He placed a hand on her head and smoothed her hair back as she kept weeping. He began to rub her back gently trying to keep her from crying harder. After several minutes of just letting everything she had locked up out, she pulled away from Jackson and wiped her face of the stray tears that were left.

"Thank you, Jackson..." She looked to him and he smiled back softly.

"You're welcome." Marie slowly laid herself down on the blanket she had laid out. Jackson watched as she settled herself in and then laid down himself to get some rest before they had to move out. Somewhere in the middle of the three hours they had to rest Marie woke up. She tried several times to fall back asleep, but it was useless. She sat up and looked around at the rest of the men that were sleeping soundly. She slowly crawled over to Jackson and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jackson...?" She whispered not wanting to wake any of the others from their deserved rest. Jackson groaned softly as a reply to Marie. "Would you mind...if I...lay next to you?"

Jackson opened his tired eyes and looked at her. He propped himself up on his elbows. "Mind what...?"

"Would you mind...if I laid next to you?" Marie asked again, looking down at the floor. "It's just that...I can't sleep and when I was little...my brother would let me sleep next to him so I would be able to fall asleep again."

Jackson blinked his tired eyes and yawned as he nodded his head slowly. Marie pulled her blanket over and laid it down next to his. Jackson laid down and went back to sleeping as Marie laid down on her blanket and turned her back to him as she closed her eyes again to try and sleep. She heard Jackson move and opened her eyes. She felt his right arm lay loosely on her waist and felt his slow breathing on her lower neck as he was deeply asleep. Marie closed her eyes again, feeling exhausted and comfortable, and fell asleep.


End file.
